#6 /J 


[selected  for  the  soldiers.]  No.  421 

SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS 

OF  THE  ALL-SUFFICIENCY  OF  CHRIST. 


It  is  a  fact  which  cannot  be  denied,  and  which  need 
not  be  concealed,  that  there  are  many  who  have  fallen 
short  of  the  salvation  which  has  been  offered  to  their  ac- 
ceptance. But  how  is  this?  It  is  not  owing  to  any  un- 
willingness in  the  Saviour  to  receive  them.  It  is  just 
because  ihey  have  rejected  htm  in  the  spirit  of  infidelity,  like 
the  malefactor  who  railed  against  him  on  the  cross  ;  or 
lifted  up  tin-  heel  against  him,  like  the  traitor  who  be- 
trayed him  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies:  or  abandoned 
themselves  to  the  spirit  of  persecution,  like  Herod,  who 
set  him  at  naught  and  mocked  him  ;  or  perverted  the 
right  ways  of  the  Lord,  like  Elymas  the  sorcerer,  who 
was  full  of  all  subtlety  and  mischief;  or  departed  from 
him  sorrowful,  like  the  young  man  who  had  great  pos- 
sessions ;  ordeemed  themselves  independent  of  the  riches 
of  his  grace,  like  the  proud  Pharisee,  who  trusted  in 
himself  that  he  was  righteous,  and  despised  others ;  or 
satisfied  themselves  with  the  form,  without  the  power  of 
godliness  .like  the  foolish  virgins,  who  went  out  to  meet 
the  bridegroom,  but  had  no  oil  in  theirlamps;  or  sought 
to  escape  from  their  conviction,  like  Felix,  who  deferred 
the  overtures  of  the  gospel  to  a  more  convenient  season; 
or  manifested  the  indecision  of  Agrippa,  who,  though 
almost,  was  not  altogether  persuaded  to  be  a  Christian  ; 
or  lightly  esteemed  the  blessings  of  the  great  salvation, 
like  Galiio,  who  cared  for  none  of  these  things. 

But  with  regard  to  all  who  have  come  to  the  Saviour 
in  the  sincerity  of  their  hearts,  sensible  of  their  burdens, 
their  helplessness,  and  their  misery,  how  different  has 
been  their  experence,  and  how  encouraging.  Just  look 
at  a  few  of  the  cases  recorded  in  the  sacred  volume,  and 
mark  how  cordial  was  the  reception  they  met  with,  yet 
how  varied  the  attitudes  in  Which  they  appear. 

One  is  standing  afar  off.  with  a  cloud  on  his  counte- 
nance, and  a  burden  of  guilt  on  his  heart,  not  venturing 
to  lift  so  much  as  his  eye  unto  heaven  :  thus  did  the 
Publican  when  he  smote  upon  his  breast,  and  gave  utter- 


Z  THE    ALLSUFPICTENCY    OF    CHRIST. 

ance  to  the  humble  but  accepted  prayer,  "  God  be  merci- 
iul  to  me  a  sinner/' 

Another  appears  to  be  rising  up,  as  if  coming  to  his 
right  mind,  disgusted  with  the  abominations  after  which 
he  had  been  walking,  and  so  touched  with  the  tender 
mercies  he  had  hitherto  despised,  as  to  be  saying  in  his 
heart,  "I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father:?'  thus  did  the 
prodigal;  and  his  father  saw  him,  even  while  he  was  yet 
a  great  way  off,  and  had  compassion,  and  ran,  and  fell 
upon  his  neck  and  kissed  him. 

Another  is  in  the  act  of  coming  to  the  Saviour,  but 
coming  secretly,  satisfied  in  his  own  heart  that  he  is  a  teach- 
er come  from  God,  who  teaches  savingly  and  to  profit, 
yet  afraid  of  the  reproaches  of  men,  and  scarce  fortified 
as  yet  for  the  bold  and  open  avowal  of  his  name:  thus 
did  N icodemus,  the  ruler  of  the  Jews,  when  he  came  to 
him  by  night. 

Another  is  coming  to  him  openly,  and  with  great  ardor 
and  impetuosity  of  spirit,  heedless  of  every  difficulty,  and 
in  the  very  face  of  peril  and  of  death  ;  thus  did  Peter, 
when  he  walked  alone  on  the  bosom  of  the  dark  and 
tempestuous  sea. 

Another  is  following  after  him,  but  with  a  less  bold 
and  intrepid  spirit,  timid,  silent,  trembling,  shrinking 
from  the  presence  of  his  awful  majesty:  thus  did  the 
woman  who  came  behind  him  in  the  press,  and  touched 
but  the  hem  of  his  garment. 

Another  is  running  before  him,  almost  afraid  he  may 
lose  the  sight  of  him,  yet  putting  himself  in  the  way  by 
which  he  was  to  pass,  and  diligently  seeking  him  while 
,he  was  to  be  found  :  thus  did  Zaccheus,  when  the  Saviour 
looked  up.  and  saw  him  m  the  sycamore-tree,  and  said 
to  him,  "  Make  haste,  and  come  down  ;  for  to-day  I 
must  abide  at  thy  house." 

Another  is  sitting  at  the  very  feet  of  Christ,  entertain- 
ing the  recollection  oi'  past  guilt,  and  weeping  as  one 
weepeth  for  an  only  child  :  thus  did  the  penitent  in  the 
house  of  Simon  the  Pharisee,  when  she  washed  his  feet 
with  her  tears,  and  wiped  them  with  the  hair  of  her  head. 

Another  is  lying  prostrate  on  the  ground,  overwhelmed 
with  the  force  of  irresistible  convictions,  and  crying  out 


THE    ALL-SUFFICIENCY    OF    CHRIST.  6 

in  the  agony  of  his  spirit.  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?" 
Thus  did  the  jailer  at  Fhilippi,  when  the  glad  message 
fell  like  music  on  his  heart.  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  he  saved." 

Another  is  seeking  for  the  Saviour,  the  same  Saviour 
whom  she  had  formerly  found,  and  whose  footsteps  she 
had  been  following,  hut  whose  presence  had  again  de- 
parted, seeking  him  with  sorrowfulness  of  heart,  seeking 
him  early  and  with  intense  desire,  seeking  him  in  the 
dark,  and  at  the  grave  where  her  sins  had  laid  him  :  thus 
did  the  Mary  Magdalene  out  of  whom  seven  devils  had 
l^een  cast. 

Others  again,  are  attending  eagerly  on  instituted  ordi- 
nances, or  searching  the  Scriptures  with  all  diligence, 
such  as  Lydia  of  Thyatira,  whose  heart  the  Lord  opened 
when  frequenting  the  place  where  prayer  was  wont  to 
he  made;  or  Mary  of  Bethany,  who  sat  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus  listening  to  the  words  of  everlasting  life  ;  or  Timo- 
thy, who  from  a  child  had  known  the  holy  Scriptures, 
which  are  able  to  make  wise  unto  salvation  :  or  the 
Eunuch  of  Ethiopia,  to  whom  Philip  preached  Jesus  on 
his  return  from  Jerusalem,  where  he  had  gone  to  wor- 
ship :  or  Apollos  of  Alexandria,  who  was  an  eloquent 
man,  and  mighty  in  the  Scriptures,  and  instructed  in  the 
way  of  the  Lord. 

And  others  still,  are  occupied  with  the  solemn  exer- 
cises of  prayer  :  the  blind  man  crying  in  his  darkness, 
"  Jesus,  thou  son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me  ;"  the 
leper  in  his  uneleanliness,  "  Lord,  if  thou  wilt,  thou  canst 
make  me  clean  ;"  the  woman  of  Canaan  in  the  extremity 
of  her  distress.  "  Lord,  help  me  :"  the  persecuting  Saul 
amid  the  terror  of  his  convictions,  "Lord,  what  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do?"  the  woman  of  Samaria  at  the  well  ot 
Sychar,  "  Give  me  this  water,  that  I  thirst  not,  neither 
come  hither  to  draw  :"  the  malefactor  in  his  last  ago- 
nies, "Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  contest  into  thy 
kingdom  :"  and  the  martyred  Stephen,  with  the  view 
of  heaven's  glories  opening  up  before  him.  "  Lord  Jesus, 
receive  my  spirit." 

It  is  especially  deserving  of  notice,  that  in  the  expe- 
rience of  each  of  these  individuals,  there  was  something 


4  THE   ALL-SUFFICIENCY   OF   CHRIST. 

peculiar  or  characteristic.  Not  one  of  them  was  possess- 
ed of  the  same  attainments,  or  placed  in  the  same  position, 
or  precisely  in  the  same  state  of  mind  as  another.  There 
was  dejection  in  one,  and  penitence  in  another  ;  timidity 
in  one,  and  anxiety  in  another  ;  intrepidity  in  one,  and 
trembling  in  another;  expectation  in  one,  and  weeping  in 
another,  and  apprehension  in  another,  and  serenity  in  an- 
other, and  ml  assurance  in  another.  Nevertheless  they 
were  all  coming,  or  had  already  come  to  the  Saviour. 
Therefore,  none  of  them  was  cast  out.  They  were  all 
treated  as  children  of  the  same  family — as  believers  ; 
and  whether  they  were  standing  afar  off,  or  coming  by 
night,  or  sitting  at  his  feet,  or  weeping  at  his  grave,  or 
reclining  on  his  bosom,  or  looking  to  his  cross,  or  inter- 
ceding at  his  throne — the  throne  where  light  is  given  to 
the  blind,  and  purity  to  the  unclean,  and  help  to  the 
afflicted,  and  direction  to  the  doubtful,  and  relief  to  the 
destitute,  and  the  bright  entrance  into  heaven  to  the 
dying — still,  the  Saviour  had  a  kindly  look,  or  a  helping 
hand,  or  a  word  of  comfort  for  them  all:  and  how  diversi- 
fied soever  were  their  c^ses,  the  experience  of  every  one  of 
them  was  accordant  with  the  declaration  of  the  great  Re- 
deemer. "Him  that  cometh  tome  I  will  in  nowise  cast  out." 
And  what  is  the  practical  lesson  taught  by  these  cas- 
es, and  which  every  man  should  be  anxious  to  learn  for 
himself?  It  is  this  :  that  there  is  an  all-svjfidency  in  the 
riches  of  the  Saviour's  grace,  that  is  equal  to  the  neces- 
sities of  your  own  case,  however  urgent  these  necessities 
may  he ;  if  you  come  to  the  Saviour  as  you  are,  with  all 
your  burdens  and  with  all  your  miseries,  you  will  as- 
suredly meet  a  kind  and  gracious  reception,  and  be  ena- 
bled to  set  your  seal  to  the  truth  of  the  gospel  declara- 
tion, that  it  is  "  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  accep- 
tation, that  Christ  Jesus  came'  into  the  world  to  save 
sinners,  even  the  chief/* 


Re-printed  by  Strother  &  Marcom.  Book  and  Job  Prin- 
ters, Raleigh,  N.  C. ' 

APPROVED  BY  ALL  THE  PASTORS  OF  THIS  CITY. 

W.  J.  W.  Crowder,  Tract  A^ent. 


Hollinger  Corp. 
PH8.5 


